Uzushiogakure, restored
by TheLadyMuse
Summary: Part 3 of Librarium. So, in Mindfuck no jutsu, Kakashi became the Hokage because Naruto hates paperwork and Minato was used to being a wartime Kage even if I never said that. What would have been the alternate solution? (updates on Mondays) 3/21
1. Chapter 1

**Those of you who are curious, yes, Amaya is based on Amaya from Sacrificial Daughters, and while SD is a long way from being finished, it will be finished eventually (after an overhaul). Really, anything on my profile is intended to be finished, you just might see a variety of shit before it happens. Those of you who recognize Hisana, I got permission from the author of Bonds and Hugs like Chokeholds to use the name and basic age.**

 **Ayakashi: (Japanese) a gathering of demons on water**

The day she goes back in time (the day she enrolled at the Academy), Haruno Sakura introduces herself with a surety she's never had before.

"Hello. My name is Haruno Sakuya, and I'm going to be a medic-nin to rival Senju Tsunade." She bows and sits through the other introductions, straightening reflexively when Sasuke introduces himself

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I'm going to be a better jutsu master than Orochimaru." He nods to Sakura and takes his seat, Naruto bouncing in to fill his spot at the front and he says cheerfully

"I'm Namikaze Naruto, and I'm going to be as good a seal master as Jiraiya the Toad Sage!"

At recess, the self proclaimed Neo-Sannin sit and discuss chakra theory, or that's what Sasuke's genjutsu says. In reality, they're discussing how to get Kakashi to be their Sensei, as he's most likely to have gone back in time with them.

Sasuke confides in them about a clan practice he hadn't been able to tell them about before, hadn't _wanted_ to tell them about. That the Uchiha claim certain people, teammates, family members, objects of interest, to nurture and protect. His cousin Amaya had claimed Kakashi 'when they were just brats', but died in the original timeline, a few months after her graduation. Yet Sasuke had had breakfast with her, Kakashi, Obito, Shisui and his family, only that morning.

 _It hadn't been Sensei who saved her. It had been Obito, charging into the fray when Kakashi was too far from the Uchiha who had Claimed him._

Sakuya begs an invitation to meet Sasuke's cousin Amaya, and only when she assures him she can handle her quirks does he agree. Naruto warns her that

"Amaya-nee is really strange, Sakuya-chan. She's always clean, and her hair is really long, and she never wears shinobi gear."

Meeting Hatake Amaya of the Uchiha is an _experience._ A metal browband, of shiny silver, shapes the Konoha emblem on her forehead, all but two decent sized locks of hair are clamped in place. Her kimono is light as air, a gleaming silver that shines in the sun, contrasting her tanned skin and golden-brown cat's eyes. She sits, quietly, gracefully, at Kakashi's feet, head tilted forward, on a cushion in an Uchiha courtyard. Sakumo, an older, pony-tailed version of his son, down to the dark eyes and broad shoulders and lovely, enticing smile, stands at her other side. Obito flanks Kakashi, old, three tomoe Sharingan eyes staring out of an unmarred face. Unlike the Hatake men- both dressed simply in jounin blues and vest- he wears a black Uchiha robe, unaccented but for the small black leaf symbol genjutsu'd on his forehead.

Itachi and Shisui had greeted Sasuke, Sakuya and Naruto at the gate of the compound, Shisui in an Uchiha robe cut off at the knees over his nin pants, Itachi in a yukata like their fathers', but in a shade of blue their mother favoured.

Sakura (no, she must remember she is _Sakuya_ now, similar enough it won't confuse her and yet still a new beginning) accepts the cushion Shisui fetches for her, that he places in front of Amaya. Mikoto and Fugaku will be here soon, she knows, but for now, she must speak with this woman she asked about. As she goes through the pleasantries as Sasuke had directed- speak to Amaya but study Kakashi and his father- she wonders where Captain Yamato is.

Amaya seems pleased with her paying more attention to her precious ones than to the woman herself. An elite jonin like the men around her, her 'quirk' is to portray herself as a doll.

"We all remember, children, the Uchiha, to a man, are with you, this time." Naruto can't fight a cheer at Amaya's grave words, but Sakuya catches her meaning. _If ever your goal- the world's peace, made up of the peace of families- changes, they will bring all their might to bear._

But not these Uchiha, Sakuya knows with absurd certainty. Itachi and Shisui even now hem Sasuke in between them, but are eying her and Naruto speculatively, as is Sasuke himself. Obito surveys his cousin's small family with a ferocious pride and fierce protectiveness.

After that, after being introduced to Amaya-san, Sakuya finds she and her friends who came back- Tenten, Ino and Hinata- taken under the wing of the wife of the Yondaime's oldest student. Amaya herself is fiercely proud in her right, loves her once-Rokudaime husband with everything she is.

And more, after being told about the Claiming, after observing it, Sakuya understands the Uchiha far better than she did mooning after Sasuke. Orochimaru and Sakumo, when the latter is not with his son, have a retinue of Uchiha who pamper them and glare at any who insult them. Itachi and Shisui and Sasuke Claim the Konoha Twelve and they gain their own, smaller retinue, made up not of the mix of agemates and a handful of younger lackeys- which Orochimaru and Sakumo's is- but of agemates and mentors. Because the Uchiha prize strength, yes, and those who are strong should be taken care of, the young sheltered and taught, but the Uchiha Clan _does not_ treat anyone as expendable.

When a civilian boy named Takeshi tries to bully Shino about his bugs in Sasuke's hearing, it takes a single cold order

"Phalanx." For the six other Uchiha children, including Amaya's niece and nephew Asami and Asari, to surround Shino, cold eyes, two or three Sharingan's activated, all staring down this boy who had _dared_ insult one of the Claimed. Sasuke had bared his teeth and bitten out sharply

"Watch your words. _Aburame Shino_ has the potential to be a great shinobi, and the Uchiha Clan will not permit one of our own to be treated ill." As one, the phalanx of Uchiha children drop into varying ready stances, awaiting the order to attack. The rest of the Twelve are ranged with their Uchiha retinue, Kiba and Hinata with fists balled, Naruto and Kiba snarling. Ino and Sakuya squirm through the Uchiha's to brace Shino, cuddling up on either side of him.

No, it's not what would have been before they were Claimed. But the Uchiha have taught them that no one can just be thrown away, that there must be a _reason._ Obito had been ignored because he was the product of one cousin forcing themselves on the other. He had risen above the status of that, had received apologies from the Uchiha who had hurt him. But still, he stuck to captaining Kakashi's retinue, which, oddly enough, contained a just about equal mix of Uchiha and other nin.

From Amaya, the girls have learned the use of a dramatic backslide as your hair falls into your eyes, and from Itachi and the other Uchiha men, the boys have learned deadly discipline.

Oh, Kiba and Naruto have never lost the ferality of their beasts- but Sakumo and Orochimaru have shown them that being obvious has it's uses. Neji knows now the impact of unflinching eyes and the proud upward tilt of a chin. Ino sees more than what is 'cool', she sees strategy and kindness and familiarity, and it feels _right._ Hinata is a Queen and she _will_ have her due. Tenten has learned that she can be more than a Weaponsmistress, that poison and seduction and madness are all tools of a kunoichi. Sakuya has a healers' heart and warriors' soul and she _wants_ the dancers' demeanor mask that Amaya wears easy as breathing. Lee has seen what overstretching his Youth can do, and he's as determined that if it must happen, it will, but that he will exhaust every other avenue before he must. Shino's eyes burn every time he contemplates being so thoroughly Claimed for who he is, his Kikaichu honored as his companions.

Asami, Asari, Sasuke, Shiori, Makoto, Daishiro, and Fuguhiko, they are Uchiha to their core. They are Uchiha, they are One, they are Absolute, they will never let anyone take what is _theirs_ , and they will _do what needs to be done_.

Takeshi isn't the only one put on notice, Sakuya knows. Shiranui Genma, Tatami Iwashi, Namiashi Raidou, the Yondaime and his wife, Might Dai and Gai, the Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Mitarashi Anko, the Hyuuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, all the most powerful ninja of Konoha have been Claimed by the Uchiha now, with this move.

Fugaku and his sons become prominent figures, the most obvious in running patrols. Uchiha Mikoto hosts tea parties for the ladies of the Clans involved, dragging the unaffiliated kunoichi and occasional civilian wife of a civilian born Claimed nin into her circle.

The Clan heads are befuddled, none more so than the Yondaime. After all, it is _Naruto_ who begs and pleads his father to rebuild Uzu.

"I am an Uzumaki, and Konoha is wonderful but it isn't _home."_ And Kushina cries and there is a lot of talking, most of which Sakuya isn't privy to- busy training and dancing with Sasuke as she is.

The Twelve have already voted. If Kakashi doesn't become Hokage in the next few years, they will turn their efforts to restoring Uzushiogakure. They will bring many Uchiha with them, but many more will remain in Konoha.

Minato is more than a little flabbergasted, that his son wants his student to replace him. Kakashi has become a pillar to those who call themselves 'the Pack', Obito and a handful of Uchiha are usually at hand, he had always thought because Kakashi had married an Uchiha, but apparently…

Apparently, if he is not careful his own son will remove him from his office, or leave himself.

Many other parents get this surprise. Except Fugaku and Mikoto, who look on their sons with a rush of such open, proud joy that both boys grin. Minato might think that his son will just leave, but they know better. Sure, Sasuke and his precious ones, and Itachi and his own, too, will leave and rebuild Uzu, but they'll return. Not often, no, but Mikoto and Fugaku can visit, can't they?

Sakumo and Orochimaru, too, know that the young ones will leave, and that they'll go with them. That knowledge is what eases the Uchiha's minds. Sakumo can reason with his son and son's teammate, and Orochimaru can out rationalize even the coldest Aburame.

The other parents find out in different ways.

Inoichi, seated with his teammates and their sons at an Ino-Shika-Cho picnic is very surprised when Ino runs over and plops down at Shikamaru's side, whispering out a few words that Inoichi doesn't catch, before cuddling into the Nara. Chouji, supporting Shikamaru's head in his lap, lets out a wordless cheer.

Shikaku expresses confusion, and his son rolls his eyes and explains

"Naruto finally convinced the Yondaime to send people to rebuild Uzushio after the Chunin exams, because otherwise the Pack will desert if he doesn't install Kakashi-sensei in his place." Choza's eyes furrow, frown surfacing when Chouji pipes up

"Genma-ni and Gai-ni are going to come too, I think." Ino pressed a kiss to Shikamaru's jaw and reminded the boys

"Don't forget, Amaya-sensei said that the Hatake family is definitely coming! Which means Billboard Brow, Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun will be coming as well!" Shikamaru sighed squeezed Ino with the arm round her waist.

"Troublesome. We're going too?" Chouji leaned back on his hands, chuckling, as Ino _moved,_ straddling Shikamaru and cupping his face before she murmured

"Of course we are, Shika-chan. If our clan lands were destroyed, Naruto and the others would help us. And we'll have need of your strategic mind, my darling stag." Pale fingers stroking over a honey cheek, before endless blue eyes looked up at Chouji, lips curving into a smile as Ino intoned softly

"And we'll have need of you, too, Chou-kun." Chouji smiled back, chubby hand running over his daughters' hair as Inoichi watched. Shikamaru grunted and pulled a scroll from his pocket, handing it to Ino. She unsealed two pillows and two blankets, handing one of each to Chouji before handing the pillow to Shikamaru and arranging the blanket over herself.

Heart shattered, Inoichi fought the urge to snatch his daughter into his arms. Because though they were relaxed, Shikamaru had adjusted the blanket, eyes staring into the sky. Chouji snored for about half an hour before waking, tapping Shikamaru's shoulder to trade watches.

Shikaku and Chouza share a long look, and Inoichi too, knows that when the time comes, he'll let Ino go, as she'll have her team at her back.

Hiashi and Hizashi are _aware_ in the way only the bearers of a great doujutsu can be. The day they arrived at the Academy, they had remembered. It had been a struggle, making it through the day until he could find somewhere to break down and _cry._ Losing his wife, his twin, his nephew, and finally his daughter, almost not reconciling.

It hadn't been Hinata he'd lost by disowning for her marriage choices. It had been Hanabi, his strong willed, bullheaded daughter who had quietly married and moved out, because her husband was of civilian birth. She'd known her clan would never accept Iwashi, but she'd kept him anyway.

 _Not this time._ Hizashi and Neji won't be sealed. Hanabi will never doubt her clan's love. Hinata will be encouraged to love someone who will dote on her. If he can help it, he won't lose _any_ clan members.

Torune and Shibi and Shino are quiet, still, but Shibi knows that if both boys go to Uzu, the clan won't be far behind. They are small, will always be, but they love fiercely. So if Shino and Torune want to leave behind the memories of Root and loneliness, he will let them go.

Tsume doesn't care what Minato says. Hatake survived two wars, the Sharingan, and nearly endless grief since he was five. If Kiba and Hana think he's a better fit for Hokge, or that they'll follow him to Uzu, they'll have a Clan escort at the very least, because she taught her puppies to follow their instincts. Because she too, remembers that future.

In the end, Hatake Kakashi becomes the Alpha of Uzushiogakure. Time had taught Naruto he hated being behind a desk, and that Kakashi would do his duty and be good at it. So they all go, restore Uzushiogakure to a shining brilliance, name it a Sanctuary for Shinobi. Jinchuriki are welcome here, where the Fourth Hokage's son can examine their seals before they are thrown headfirst into training with an Uzu-nin.

Konoha has the Will of Fire, and Uzushio has something similar- though they call it the Heart Song. Amaya's custom of a metal browband and Obito's use of a genjutsu to put the emblem of their Village on their forehead is widely adopted.

Ino likes using genjutsu, uses Nara green to mark her forehead, Hinata and Sakura wear leather chokers with it engraved in the center, and Tenten uses a browband, her buns settled over the metal. Karui, delighted to reunite with Chouji, and in Whirlpool of all places, dons the 'crown' he offers her.

Karin, too, accepts the golden browband offered to all Uzumaki.

But the thing that takes the most adjusting is that for all they come from Konoha, the original new residents are very different. There is a Whirlpool, yes, but they have an 'Alpha Pair', not a Kage, Ayakashi instead of ANBU (many of which followed Hound and Weasel), Jinchuriki are given the chance to be normal, and no one below a certain age are going to be pressed into the field, will spend years honing their skills on the glorious streets of Uzushio. The Temple holds all the names they can find, on the Scroll of the Dead, a stone slab like the Memorial Stone in training Ground Seven.

The first time Uzushio hosts a Kage summit, Kakashi stands before his people, dressed in Hatake green, the intricate golden sash denoting jonin rank tied around his waist. Everyone else wears Hatake grey, their bronze and silver and gold sashes expertly tied. Naruto, dressed in hakama and kimono shirt, studies his teacher. A pack of wolf summons had attached themselves to him, increasing the mutters of _Alpha_.

Sasuke isn't standing with Naruto and Obito, Amaya and Sakura to lend Kakashi support. He's waiting at the gate, wearing the standard black mask-shirt and pants ensemble Kakashi still sports, even with his haori and sash. However, Sasuke wore a grey haori open over his clothes, bronze sash beneath it. Yamato, nearby, wears the hip length yukata- grey with green leaves- gifted by Amaya to all the formerly-Konoha jonin, his own golden sash tied off with the honor cord, to indicate his position as one of Kakashi's most trust.

Minato, Kushina and the other Kages and jinchuriki approach Uzushio filled with trepidation, especially Yagura. They are greeted by an emotionless Tenzou, flanked by Sasuke and Neji. There are others in the shadows- Yugao and Hayate, Sai and Shin- but Kushina takes in the restoration of Uzu and cries.

Tenzou's eyebrows twitch before he says crisply

"The Alpha is waiting for you. We are your escort." Neji and Sasuke take that as their cue to activate their kekkai genkai, A swallowing a curse when the Byakugan and Sharingan eye him at the same time.

"Permissable, Tenzou." Both genin pronounce, fingering their own bronze sashes. Turning, the three ninja tear off along the land bridge, over the wall and to the pavilion where the main pack is situated. Kakashi is sitting, serenely as his wife usually is, on the dais his people had insisted upon. It is high enough that most men can look into his eyes when they want to. Most visitors duck the cold gaze of Whirlpool's Alpha, probably because of the packmates eying them.

For Minato, he has to stop himself from swallowing his tongue, because there is Naruto insisting Kakashi would be an excellent Kage, and there is the broad man before him. He is simply dressed, mask-shirt, black pants, green haori and golden sash. Unlike Tenzou, who is only a Beta or jonin, Kakashi's sash is embroidered in many colours, silver and bronze. Sasuke and Neji, lowest on the totem pole as Omegas, or genin, drop back.

Kakashi wastes no time in his greetings to the Kage, is pleased to offer to host an intervillage Chunin exam- Shikamaru had been the only new chunin to come to Uzushio- and the stunned Kage accept.

They are stunned because Uzushio is a warriors' citadel. There are jinchuriki and ninja around every corner, yes, but there are many smiths, merchants, fishermen and greenhouse tenders who have made Uzushio their home.

The Yondaime nearly swallows his tongue a second time when he walks the wall between his students, only to see his son dash out the Seagate, running and laughing with Uchiha Sasuke. The pink haired girl who'd been their teammate in Konoha dances along the wall further up, her Yamanaka best friend laughing from the arms of Shikaku's boy.

So many former Konoha nin, none with a pinch in their expressions, all nodding to Kakashi and saying respectfully

"Alpha. Obito." Most also acknowledge him, but it is to Kakashi and his pack they look to for guidance. He finds out why, bit by bit, when preparing for the Chunin exams.

Kakashi values his people. He doesn't make them kill, but doesn't make them remain children. The Shinobi rules are _nothing_ to the safety of his people, the Kages had overheard him thundering. Obito had added ruthlessly

"The Uchiha of Whirlpool have Claimed you, and we are One, are Absolute in our Claim."

(What the Kage don't know was it was a staged thing, but it _did_ set the tone)

A, Onoki, Rasa, Yagura and Minato are surprised at how well the jinchuriki do here. Killer Bee and Yugito stick together, as do Han and Roushi, but they chat with Gaara and Utakata, the latter with a cossetted heiress in his lap, the other with Uchiha Asami at his feet.

Yugito herself relaxes enough to cuddle into Bee's side, smiling when Tsuchigumo Hotaru rises to get them all some food. Utakata's look of constant bewilderment remains amusing, even with Naruto snoring in the corner, having been run ragged by his teammates. Who plop down on the blond, laughing over his yelps.

It kind of hurts, for Kushina. Her baby, Minato's students, they don't really need parents. But it doesn't hurt too deeply, not when Naruto smiles like the sun when he sees her and Obito teases his cousins about writing to their Mom. Not when Kakashi's own father is doted on, even as he basks in the sun with Orochimaru, and he keeps an eagle on his sons' people. It truly, deeply helps that Uzushio has been restored. Well, restored but different.

Dogs and wolves run the streets. There were no orphans- everyone took care of the young ones who needed it. An Alpha pair ruled through the love their people bore them, not just a headman. The men dressed in a simple fashion that mirrored their Alpha, the women were a garden of beautiful, flashy colours that echoed the Alpha Mate's unique style.

The Kage could see many of their ninja defecting to Whirlpool. Kakashi was incredibly strong, backed by monstrously strong people, but he was so achingly fair… If _they_ hadn't been Kage, they would have been tempted. As it was, Minato and Rasa both wanted to join their children in this Ninja Utopia, and Kushina had decided to stay for an extended visit already.

Amaya flowed through the streets of Uzushio with a carelessness that would have gotten her swatted back in Konoha. Kakashi was busy, at present. She had to organize a mission pack or two, and make sure her pups were doing their exercises. Scowling, the She-Alpha stormed the Citadel. Like Hokage Tower, the Citadel was paperwork central for the Village. Unlike Konoha, however, the Citadel wasn't the true center of the Village. No, that was the Den, where the young ones trained, and the Sky Pavilion, where the outdoor celebrations were held. Strictly speaking, Amaya could work in the Citadel. But she fucking hated it. She was meant to be fighting, not filing paper.

However, Kakashi (damn the man) had squirrelled out of it to drill the Omegas for the Exam. So she had to take care of the filing. Her mate, she thought darkly, was lucky she loved him.

Sighing as she entered the well-lit Citadel, Amaya accepted the paper sheaf Yamanaka Ino thrust at her, dark brows climbing as she surveyed the immigration rates. When they had proposed the restoration of Uzushio, it had been with the expectation that, eventually, an Uzumaki would take the Hat, in a figurative sense. Instead, Kakashi had been voted in as Alpha and everything structured like a wolf pack forthwith.

It was not unheard of for her to be referred to as 'Hatake's Bitch' and 'Alpha Bitch' with the utmost respect. In a city (for, indeed, it had become a city of gleaming stone) of warriors who acted like wolves walking, being the Bitch of a strong man- an Alpha male- was an honour. Call her ungrateful, but Amaya preferred 'Alpha Bitch' for her title. It did something like give her her due.

As to the constant influx of people, despite expecting a small group to follow them to Uzu, and a dozen or so more from across the Elemental countries, the immigration numbers kept climbing. In some ways, it was only to be expected. Genma and Raidou were… well, the common vernacular was mated to Uchiha Hisana and Inuzuka Hana, respectively. Yugao had insisted she and Hayate come after Sakuya had cured his lung ailment, Uchiha Izumi had accepted Itachi's betrothal request, Gaara had been infatuated with Uchiha Asami since the Konoha Exams…

And then, of course, there were Sakuya and Tenten's families, able to move more easily because they were civilian. Hiashi had sent several freed Hyuuga to assist Hinata and Neji, all of Clan Aburame's elders had made the trek, and of course, Kurenai, Asuma and Gai had followed their students. Tsunade and Jiraiya had accepted the invitation to their old teammates' new home, Orochimaru's irritation had been transparent but no act. They _had_ abandoned him to Konoha.

Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru had refused a full escort, though their clans had intended on sending one. Amaya had been the one to talk them around, suggesting one or two trios of their most burnt out members.

The most annoying part of the new Village was that despite their reputation for being a sanctuary to the scariest men and women to ever wield chakra, many people came to them. It made sense, of course, to seek out the Village unofficially known as the home of the demons in the Whirlpool.

But then, there were many demons in this pack.

The White Fang and the Snake Sage, a pair of battlefield tanks whose partnership had begun and exploded after Ame. Hound and his Dancer and their Ghost, a devastating trio. Sarutobi Asuma, once a Guardian Shinobi, Maito Gai, the Fabulous Green Beast, Yamato Tenzou the 'Shodai walking', Uchihas' Itachi and Shisui, said to be descended of Izuna and Kagami. Dai nana han, the Konoha Team who had refused a promotion unless it was together. Ino-Shika-Chou Revolution, who had terrifyingly recombined their jutsus for maximum impact, the Fanged Ones, Inuzuka siblings Hana and Kiba, considered the Alpha's best trackers, Konoha's lead assassin and the wielder of the Raven Sword. The Desert Demons, made up of the Sand Siblings and their stoic sensei. The Demon of the Bloody Mist, Momochi Zabuza, the Mad Bomber Deidara, and the Tailless Tailed Beast, Hoshigaki Kisame,

Was it any wonder, then, that Uzu was also called Ayakashi Village?

Some wanted protection, or tutelage, still others wanted alliances.

The first two were doable. That third one depended on what kind of alliance and how you'd go about sealing it. Especially if what you wanted or who you were pissed off the Alpha pair.

And if _that_ wasn't a head trip and a half! In her last life, she'd never expected to make even Chunin, let alone tokujo (yet she'd made Elite Jonin the same day as Kakashi, probably because he'd refused to undertake missions without her). In this life, all that had given her her rank was a determination to be a weapon in all forms and a natural inclination for fire jutsu.

Her biggest regret was letting anyone know her motto, back in the war. _Light the sky with fire_ was both obvious and ambiguous and so fucking her, if anyone from her old life had reincarnated like she did, it would be too easy to be found.

Anyway, she finished rifling the stack of papers and signed off on everything, unaware that the paper-nin (two ANBU clerks and a defector from the Tower) were in near raptures at how easy it was to get the paper work done with not one but two people of Kage rank in the Village.

Ino, who had decided to train part time as a paper-nin to help Shikamaru, just went about her work, sighing at the thought of dark eyes framed by black hair, honey skin bared for her exploration.

 **A/N:**

 **So, as I've said before, prompts and questions are great (flames are ignored with all due saltiness), I have both a TheLadyMuse Tumblr and Blogspot, so come check me out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Civilian!Diplomat!Reader is in Uzu on business**

You've heard a lot about Uzushiogakure, that a group of Leaf Ninja threatened to defect and were made to restore the home of the Uzumaki clan (you'll never know, but that's not how it happened).

In any case, you are greeted by a pair of cheerful girls in colourful yukatas (you'd never guess they were kunoichi, used to being driven through hell to reach their goals) who direct you to where you need to go. The Citadel, a stone building with huge windows, looms over the street, and once you enter, you are again cheerfully greeted by several people, only two of which are sitting at desks and sorting paper.

You obtain the necessary paperwork, as a diplomat, for a stay in Uzushiogakure. Though you can't help but frown when a silver sashed man informs you

"You need to have a preliminary audience with one of the Betas, of course." A girl with a bronze sash tied over her green komon butts in

"Better hope you meet with Gekkou's Bitch, or better yet, the Yuuhi Bitch." A silver sashed woman tuts

"And that you meet with the Alpha Bitch. The males have been in a _mood."_ You thank them for the unlooked-for advice, grinding your teeth at how liberally the word 'bitch' is used. A little later, you pick up a copy of _The Shinobi Villages Survival Guide: Uzushiogakure edition._ It reveals that 'Bitch' is a compliment, jonin are Betas, chunin are gammas, and genin omegas.

The Alpha pair consists of Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Amaya, with a sidenote: _Do not insult the rest of the Alpha Pack, that will result in you being gone before you can blink._

A list of photographs and names follows, and it includes ranks. Frighteningly, there are six men with the title of Senior Beta, and two women. Shaking your head, you stride down the hallway to the room you were told to go to, where a Beta is waiting to assess you before your appointment with one of the Alphas.

There are three Betas seated on carved wooden chairs in the conference room of the Citadel. One is a woman with a purple mane, clear eyes locking on you as red lips purse. Doubtlessly Uzuki Yugao, the younger but more senior of the Beta females. The one in center is a plain faced man, black irises cast to the window, probably Yamato Tenzou, second highest ranked Beta male after the Second, Uchiha Obito. Third is Uchiha Shisui, dark curls falling over the black seal on his forehead. Each wears a complex golden sash denoting their seniority and allegiance to the Alpha.

(One of the many things you'll never know about Uzushio is the swordsman at your back, hidden in a cleverly placed shadow, ready to strike if you threaten one of his packmates)

Your meeting with Yamato Tenzou, captain of the city guard (the Ayakashi, who are ANBU in any other hidden village) goes as well as can be hoped. Even with a frowning Shisui examining the room constantly (one of the Hyuuga stationed within the Citadel has already scanned you for weapons, did you know?) and Yugao sprawled like a hunting cat at rest, Yamato's grave pronouncement that you will be added to the list of visitors happens anyway.

You go on your way, booking your room at the wonderful inn (visiting shinobi are hosted by one of the Alpha pack, but you'll never know, civilian that you are), and grabbing a map of Uzushio. Once your luggage is settled and you have eaten, you make your way to the Pavilion.

The Pavilion is a white marble marvel, with four arched pillars and a higher-than-usual dais. Most of the dais has names inscribed on it, so you assume it is a monument and the meeting will be conducted in front of it. It is a shock, when the Alpha Pair arrives with their entourage (Team Seven, Hayate, Shikamaru and Shino) and a pair of cushions are tossed on top of the of the carved dais, and the Alpha Pair hops up and seats themselves.

You stumble through the rest of the meeting, consulting your Uzu edition survival guide after, horrified to find that the Alpha Pair _always_ conducts business atop the Scroll of the Dead, not, as you had assumed, an actual scroll, but a slab of stone with the name of every person who had died for Uzushio right from the founding of the village.

According to the guidebook, there are two other Scrolls of the Dead, one in the Citadel (the conference room wall where you had been earlier, called the Temple), the other on the wall of the Archives.

(A bone deep ache you'll never know healed a little, in Kushina, when Kakashi declared Uzu would never let their fallen be forgotten, even those from the founding)

Your time in Uzushio goes well, all told. You attend several more meetings with the Alpha pair, several members of the Alpha pack always in attendance. Slowly, you learn to identify the on duty nin, off duty nin and civilians from each other. Civilian spouses, though rare, and young children (far less rare) of the Uzu nin tend to wear browbands and chokers and bracelets with the Whirlpool emblem on them, whereas on duty nin tended toward hitai-ates and forehead seals. Off duty kunoichi wore flowing yukatas, komons and kimonos (even the scary Yugao), but being on duty meant sleeveless black shirt, nin-pants and long sandals. The men usually just threw a haori over their gear.

Your second-to-last night in Uzu in spent attending a festival. The Sky Pavilion (the flat, gated rooftop of the Citadel) is lit with braziers, there is food and dancing and music, and you can see the ocean sparkling beyond Uzu in the torchlight as the last of the sun fades.

But when it is time to pack and go, you truly don't mind. Uzushiogakure is a lovely place to visit, but for someone who is not inherently a warrior, who does not have a child or grandchild dedicated to protecting this place, it feels like a true demon nest when you are here too long.

(If you look back, could see the ninja of Uzushiogakure gather in the training fields and walk the walls, you wouldn't see the protectiveness of these men and women, you would only see the bloody death so many others see, but that's okay, they are Uzushio, they are the unending Whirlpool)


	3. Chapter 3

I'd been reborn into the world of Naruto twice. The first time, most of my entire extended family had come with me, I'd fallen in love with Kakashi and still perished in the Fourth War. Or, well, I had been thought to have. I'd gotten mixed up with a Sand nin of a similar name and description. I had returned to Konoha when the error was fixed, and been terrified I would discover my quicksilver lover had found someone else.

Instead, I had overheard my eulogy, as the Sand nin had died in the hospital. My Sand escort had been upset. Kakashi had never known it wasn't me because that poor kunoichi's face had been destroyed and she had never woken.

Limping in on the arm of the Kazekage's brother had shocked my Village. I'd been badly hurt, but my face (unlike that poor kunoichi I never knew) had been unscarred. I don't think I ever heard so much screaming as that day. It was confusing, because I'd practically bullied my way into Konoha to save my family.

This time, I'd been reborn solo, back into Konoha, but with a similar body type, which was a relief because relearning to use a different one after so many lives in this one would have been a pain in the ass.

Now, Kakashi was a different story. Unlike Naruto and the others, he not only remembered the original timeline, he also remembered the altered one.

Fuck.

And then he figures out that I remember, too, and that in the altered timeline, I tried to save Itachi (and mostly succeeded). That I had hauled Tenzou into the light.

When he finally realized I am (was?) who I seem, he hesitated, and it drove me crazy. Before, now, he didn't get to pick and choose what information to act on. I told him that, and pissed him off badly enough for him not to notice the Uzu gambit. Ooops. I may have been asked by a certain restless maelstrom to insure Kakashi was busy.

Who only knew me as 'that pretty she-nin that Kakashi follows like a puppy', which is apparently a quote from Kushina. Whatever. Naruto likes me enough to not care when his 'older brother' trots off with me for a bit.

Anyway, I was stuck watching the drills on the water. Normally, that would be Kakashi's job. Or Obito's. Or Tenzou's. However, Obito was hearing petitioners today, for missions, Tenzou was drilling some Ayakashi tonight for nightside duties and Kakashi was meeting with the clan heads. It was interesting, how the genin were adapting to the whirlpools. Naruto, especially, had taken up rim-running, where you ran laps of an active whirlpool with chakra.

Shaking my head and tightening my Beta sash, I strolled along the wall, keeping one eye on the ocean and an ear out for the swordsmen. Hayate and Baki were supposed to training in the Dance of the Crescent Moon, and Haku had expressed interest, as had Zabuza.

I breathed in the air, closing my eyes for a moment, old, fragmented memories crashing down on me from the first life I remembered. In that life, I'd been a Canadian, had lived in the Interior of British Columbia as an adult, but before that, I'd lived on the coast. Living in Uzushio now had brought back memories of family trips to White Rock.

At least Kakashi understood. Kind of. He had his father back, had lived with and loved him since he was a child. My family… I wasn't sure where they were. I didn't even know what had happened to my old life.

Or… Well, it wasn't a surprise, per se, that the Librarium hadn't shared details of this with me. I had been the one to drop Aenya in Fairy Tail. And I'd been the one to activate the Happiness Protocol. Which, when you belong to the Librarium, is a bad thing.

I guess I should tell you what the Librarium _is._ You know all those self-insert fanfictions that exist? They were recorded because the Librarium takes the consciousness of one person, drops them in their new life, they live out that life, and return to their original consciousness. At most, a night or day or a nap passes and they wake up, disoriented and forgetting and thinking it's a dream.

They tell you they died? The Rector, head of the Librarium, will tell you that they were made to believe they died, so they could more fully enmesh themselves in that temporary life. I had lived several 'lives', always with a gray-something or other man.

It's lonely, sometimes, because even if Kakashi understands, loves me as much as he's able, he doesn't realize that I have a life waiting for me, where neither he nor any of my other lovers can follow.


End file.
